Orecchiette Carbonara With Peas

Name: Orecchiette Carbonara With Peas
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: Salt; 3 ounces apple-wood smoked bacon, thickly sliced and cut into 1/4-inch cubes; 4 ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped so you have 1/4-inch pieces; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped; 1 1/2 cups peas; 2 teaspoons thyme leaves; 3 eggs; 6 egg yolks; 1 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; 1 pound orecchiette; Freshly ground black pepper; 20 small pea shoots (or small spinach leaves); 1/2 lemon; 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

By Amanda Hesser

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(91)
Comments: Read comments

Featured in: THE CHEF: SUZANNE GOIN; Keeping It Simple, Keeping It Fast

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

Salt
3ounces apple-wood smoked bacon, thickly sliced and cut into ¼-inch cubes
4ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped so you have ¼-inch pieces
1tablespoon olive oil
1large onion, chopped
2cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1½cups peas
2teaspoons thyme leaves
3eggs
6egg yolks
1¾cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1pound orecchiette
Freshly ground black pepper
20small pea shoots (or small spinach leaves)
½lemon
2tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. In a large sauté pan, place bacon and pancetta in oil over medium-low heat. Cook until bacon is browned and has rendered most of its fat. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat, leaving meat in the pan. Scrape in onion and garlic, and sauté until glassy and translucent, then add peas and thyme. Cook for 1 minute, then turn off heat.
Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk together eggs, egg yolks and cheese.
Step 3
When water comes to a rolling boil, stir in pasta and cook until tender but still a little chewy in the center (like a piece of gum). Ladle out a cup of cooking water, and reserve. Drain pasta, and pour it into sauté pan with bacon; grind coarse pepper over top. Fold pasta into sauce.
Step 4
Tip pasta into egg mixture, and fold it all together quickly, so eggs cook and coat pasta with a velvety sauce. Add pea tendrils (or spinach), and fold once more. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Add a little pasta water if it becomes too thick. Spoon into shallow bowls, and sprinkle with parsley.